DOT-Architecture

"[Member Name Removed] came to our firm on 9/8/[Member Information Removed] and claimed to be in [Member Information Removed] huge rush to get his multi-family project done. We mutually agreed to [Member Information Removed] 10-week timeline and our firm began work immediately. We were able to get the project through the TSA-zoning over the counter approval process, during COVID, without needing to go through planning because the project’[Member Information Removed] design and our communication [Member Information Removed] the planning staff was so thoroughly documented. The plan reviewer responded that the TSA design standards review application was the best that he had ever seen. Our team, and our engineering consultants, worked overtime to coordinate this accelerated timeline. As milestones arose, we sent invoices, and kept working, in good faith, because we value our level of service. Those invoices were met [Member Information Removed] either silence or excuses as to why they could not be paid at that time. We continued working, even though we hadn’t been paid, to meet the accelerated timeline, to which our firm & [Member Name Removed] agreed. We were successful in getting the drawing set to 99% completion by the end of the 10 weeks and submitted for final payments. At this point, [Member Name Removed] completely disappeared. He stopped responding to any form of communication. He left us unpaid, and owing our consultants more than $110,000, which we paid out of our funds, [Member Name Removed] finally reappeared five months later, asking where his permit was, and saying that he had “all of the money” to pay us. We do not complete final coordination, nor release our drawings for permitting, without being paid for the work that we do, so we have resent every invoice, multiple times, and have made it clear to [Member Name Removed] that an architect’[Member Information Removed] role is never to apply for the permit— that is the owner and/or general contractor’[Member Information Removed] responsibility. We have had [Member Name Removed]’[Member Information Removed] set of detailed documents, that our other larger developer clients are, frankly, in awe of, ready for his final payment. We are now waiting, again, for [Member Name Removed] to pay us the remainder of the fee that he agreed to pay."